[{"TitleName":"The Archon Collection","Publisher":"Electronic Arts","Author":"Lynsoft","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0011487","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 62, Mar 1989","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1989-02-23","Editor":"Dominic Handy","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Dominic 'bye bye' Handy\r\nAssistant Editor: Stuart 'here I come' Wynne\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Philip King, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nContributors: Raffaele Cecco, Mel Croucher, Ian Cull, Mike Dunn, Paul Evans, Ian Lacey, Barnaby Page\r\nEditorial Assistants: Caroline Blake, Vivienne Vickress\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nSenior Designer: Wayne Allen\r\nDesigners: Melvin Fisher, Yvonne Priest\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nProduction Team: Robert Hamilton, Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Director: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Neil Dyson\r\nSales Executives: Sarah Chapman, Andrew Smales, Lee Watkins\r\nAssistants: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group. Distribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop the Sticky Solutions Department a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\nTo DW and DH, thanks for all the good times!\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1989\r\n\r\nISSN 0954-8661\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Underneath the Archons\r\n\r\nProducer: Electronic Arts\r\nWitch's Brew: £8.95 cass, £14.95 disk\r\nAuthor: Lynsoft, from a design by Freefall Assoicates\r\n\r\nThe original Archon game, an enjoyable mix of strategy and arcade action, is now bundled with its sequel, never previously released on the Spectrum. Adept is the most complex by far. The game begins with each player (computer or human) armed with four adepts. These can be moved to practically anywhere on the board during a players' tum. Adepts can also create other creatures which can be moved around the board, but only in the sections in which they're created. There are four basic sections; fire, water, air and earth plus two void sections.\r\n\r\nOne way to win is for a player to occupy all six power squares. Four of these are constantly moving through the four elemental sections, while the remaining two are static in the void sections. Another way to win is destroy all the opposing player's Adepts - surviving created creatures disappear with the last Adept. To destroy an Adept, or any other creatures, a player must move one of his own creatures onto the target creature's square. The screen then switches to a Battleground display with the two joystick-controlled combatants alone, with just a few obstacles. Creatures have different attack patterns: Adepts fire missiles guided by the joystick; the Firebird emits a lethal force-field around itself; Wraiths are invisible except when they attack or play against the computer. Each side has different characters.\r\n\r\nIt is also possible to win by an Apocalypse battle. This pits two Adepts against each other, winner-take-all. The Apocalypse spell is accessed by clicking twice on an Adept given sufficient spell power. Other magic includes curing half of a wounded creature's injuries, weakening an enemy creature, and even good - for a strategy game. The original game (even without a Sinclair option) is much better - it got 83% way back in Issue 18. The sequel is marked below on its own, so readers without the original should add some marks, both for the original game and overall value for money.\r\n\r\nSTUART 70%\r\n\r\nTHE ESSENTIALS\r\nJoysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: the landscape is blocky, but the small sprites are well-animated\r\nSound: various simple 48K firing and moving effects\r\nOptions: four skill levels","ReviewerComments":["If it all seems a bit confusing at first, don't worry, persevere a bit with the slim instruction manual (and informative inlay card) and it all makes sense. In fact, my main fear about Adept is that it might be a bit too simple for much long-term interest. The original game is less complex but relies less on luck. And as with most strategy-based games, the two-player mode provides the most fun.\r\nPhil King\r\n71%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Games mixing strategy and arcade skills are few and far between, so two for the price of one can't be a bad deal.","Page":"70","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil King","Score":"71","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Stuart Wynne","Score":"70","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Arcade action from the long-awaited Archon sequel."},{"Text":"The forces of Light and Dark battle it out over magical power points."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"MYSTICAL TIPS\r\n\r\nQuickly occupy a Void square with an Adept - no created creatures can be sent against them there so they're the perfect last ditch defence.\r\n\r\nSince Power Points move through all the elemental bands you should concentrate your attack on just one band.\r\n\r\nIgnore the Apocalypse Spell, about the only time you can use it is when you're winning and does is even the odds.\r\n\r\nThe Siren is most effective in the elemental bands with most obstructions as these block missiles while it sings its deadly song."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"66%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"66%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"36%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"72%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"73%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"72%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 40, Apr 1989","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1989-03-16","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Cleaner: Colin\r\nEditor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Catherine Higgs\r\nDeputy Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nProduction Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nStaff Writer: Duncan MacDonald\r\nDesigner: Thor Goodall\r\nEditorial Assistant: David Wilson\r\nTechnical Consultant: David McCandless\r\nContributors: Marcus Berkmann, Ben Bracken, Ciaran Brennan, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, Catherine Peters, Rachael Smith, Phil South\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Stephen Bloy\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nAdvertisement Production: Katherine Balchin\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nPublisher: Terry Grimwood\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1989 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Electronic Arts\r\n£9.99\r\nReviewer: Phil South\r\n\r\nThis isn't really a compilation tape, especially as there's actually only two games on it: Archon and Archon II. They started life as single games on 'other' machines, notably the Commie 64, but this is the first time either of them has appeared on the Speccy.\r\n\r\nArchon was the first (and Archon II the second, right? Ed) game of this type and is based loosely on chess, although the similarity ends with your first glance. The two sides are light and dark, clearly, but light is order and dark is chaos. In fact, on closer inspection the characters look decidedly more dangerous than the normal chess set, and so they are. They're all mythological characters, like Firebirds (Phoenixes, I think), Sirens, Kraken, Gorgons, Wraiths, Chimera, and the like. The two main players, the equivalent of the King in chess, are The Mistress of Chaos and the Master Of Order. If they fall then you are sunk.\r\n\r\nThe game goes in rounds, and the background squares to the black reflect this by turning from white to dark, showing the phases from light into darkness. They call it the Luminosity Cycle. Heavily symbolic, I think you'll agree although 'of what' exactly. I think Dr Hatstand has more idea.\r\n\r\nBut thass norrall, as they say in the movies, 'cos in spite of being a pretty stiff (HONK) strategy game, there is also a combat screen when two characters clash, which calls on the muscles in your hand rather than the big one between your ears. (HOONNKK!!) The two players warp into a battle zone where they can shoot it out with more space around them than they can find on a board crowded with half-men/half-tea towels.\r\n\r\nArchon II? Well, it would be churlish to say. Yep, it's more of the same, but it's tempting. The zones are different but the players are basically the same sort of caper. You must occupy the six 'power points' on the board or die in the attempt. (I always loved that phrase.) The board itself is four bands of colour representing the four elements, earth, fire, air and water. This time, apart from your hybrid mythological chummies, you also have some elementals (from the first game) and some sulphur snorting demons too. With them you must mop up the opposition and occupy the points. Simple really. You think so? just wait until you try it.\r\n\r\nSo all this is very nice but what do the games play like? They're quite hard for sure but that's the good thing about them. Playing against the computer can be a bit frustrating as you need to be the incredible Flash to shoot back as fast as it does with its characters. You'll always lose against the computer. But the really swell thing is when you play against a friend. Yep, these are two player games, folks, with the two of you elbowing each other about on the keyboard. Keys 3, 4, A, Q and CAPS for one of you and B, N, L, P and SYMBOL for the other. Odd choice but there you go.\r\n\r\nI like the Archons, even if I can't decide how to say it, and as a good value package you can't really go wrong with this.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Spooky, mythological corker. Great stuff.","Page":"98,99","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil South","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Siren: Bee baa bee baa... oh sorry, more of a fishy mermaid type, actually. Sings you to death apparently. Belong to the same choir as Ed then?"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"Master Of Order: The boss, the chief of everything 'nice'. Makes Cliff Richard look like Bob Hoskins.\r\n\r\nKraken: It's the way they tell 'em apparently. Yes, it's a Kraken, and as such can be expected to be a huge scaly monster from under the sea. A bit like Duncan really. Only wetter. (Thwack!)\r\n\r\nWraith: Don't turn your back on this bloke, 'cos he'll suck your lifeforce out of you before you can say Bob Holness.\r\n\r\nSiren: Bee baa bee baa... oh  sorry, more of a fishy mermaid type, actually. Sings you to death apparently. Belong to the same choir as Ed then?"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]